Xi JinpingXi Jinping (/ʃiː/;[2] Chinese: 习近平; pinyin: Xí Jìnpíng;
born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician currently serving as
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China,[3] President of the
People's Republic of China,[4] and Chairman of the Central Military
Commission.[5] As Xi holds the top offices of the party, the state,
and the military, he is sometimes referred to as China's "paramount
leader";[6][7] in 2016, the party officially gave him the title of
"core" leader.[8] As General Secretary, Xi holds an ex-officio seat on
the
Politburo Standing CommitteePolitburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China,
China's top decision-making body.
Xi JinpingXi Jinping is the first General Secretary to have been born after the
Second World War. The son of Chinese Communist veteran Xi Zhongxun, Xi
rose through the ranks politically in China's coastal provinces. Xi
was governor of
FujianFujian from 1999 to 2002, and governor, then party
secretary of neighboring
ZhejiangZhejiang province from 2002 to 2007.
Following the dismissal of Chen Liangyu, Xi was transferred to
ShanghaiShanghai as party secretary for a brief period in 2007. Xi joined the
Politburo Standing CommitteePolitburo Standing Committee and central secretariat in October 2007,
spending the next five years as Hu Jintao's presumed successor. Xi was
vice president from 2008 to 2013 and Vice Chairman of the Central
Military Commission from 2010 to 2012.
Since assuming power, Xi has introduced far-ranging measures to
enforce party discipline and to ensure internal unity. His signature
anti-corruption campaign led to the downfall of prominent incumbent
and retired officials.[9] Xi has tightened restrictions over civil
society and ideological discourse, advocating internet censorship in
ChinaChina as the concept of "internet sovereignty".[10][11] Xi has called
for further market economic reforms, for governing according to the
law and for strengthening legal institutions, with an emphasis on
individual and national aspirations under the slogan "Chinese
Dream".[12] Xi has also championed a more assertive foreign policy,
particularly with regard to China–
JapanJapan relations, China's claims in
the South
ChinaChina Sea, and its role as a leading advocate of free trade
and globalization.[13] He has also sought to expand China's Eurasian
influence through the One Belt One Road Initiative.[9]
Considered the central figure of the People's Republic's fifth
generation of leadership,[14] Xi has significantly centralized
institutional power by taking on a wide range of leadership positions,
including chairing the newly formed National Security Commission, as
well as new steering committees on economic and social reforms,
military restructuring, and the Internet. Xi’s political thoughts
have been written into the party constitution, and the state
constitution was amended to abolish term limits for the
presidency.[15] Xi has had a cult of personality constructed around
himself[16][17] "with books, cartoons, pop songs and even dance
routines".[18]

Xi JinpingXi Jinping was born in
BeijingBeijing on 15 June 1953. After the founding of
the People's Republic of
ChinaChina in 1949 by Mao Zedong, Xi's father held
a series of posts, including propaganda chief, vice-premier, and
vice-chairman of the National People's Congress.[19] Xi's father is
from Fuping County, Shaanxi, and Xi could further trace his
patrilineal descent from Xiying in Dengzhou, Henan.[20] He is the
second son of
Xi ZhongxunXi Zhongxun and his wife Qi Xin.[21]
In 1963, when Xi was age 10, his father was purged from the Party and
sent to work in a factory in Luoyang, Henan.[22] In May 1966, Xi's
secondary education was cut short by the Cultural Revolution, when all
secondary classes were halted for students to criticise and fight
their teachers. The Xi family home was ransacked by student militants
and one of Xi's sisters, Xi Heping, was killed.[23] Later, his own
mother was forced to publicly denounce him as Xi was paraded before a
crowd as an enemy of the revolution. Xi was aged 15 when his father
was imprisoned in 1968 during the Cultural Revolution; Xi would not
see his father again until 1972. Without the protection of his father,
Xi was sent to work in Liangjiahe Village, Wen'anyi Town, Yanchuan
County, Yan'an, Shaanxi, in 1969 in Mao Zedong's Down to the
Countryside Movement.[24] After a few months, unable to stand rural
life, he ran away to Beijing. He was arrested during a crackdown on
deserters from the countryside and sent to a work camp to dig
ditches.[25] He later became the Party branch secretary of the
production team, leaving that post in 1975. When asked about this
experience later by Chinese state television, Xi recalled, "It was
emotional. It was a mood. And when the ideals of the Cultural
Revolution could not be realised, it proved an illusion."[26]
From 1975 to 1979, Xi studied chemical engineering at Beijing's
prestigious
Tsinghua UniversityTsinghua University as a "Worker-Peasant-Soldier student",
where engineering majors spent about one-fifth of their time studying
Marxism–Leninism–
Mao ZedongMao Zedong thought, doing farm work and "learning
from the People's Liberation Army".[27]
From 1979 to 1982, Xi served as secretary for his father's former
subordinate Geng Biao, the then vice premier and secretary-general of
the Central Military Commission. This gained Xi some military
background. In 1985, as part of a Chinese delegation to study U.S.
agriculture, he stayed in the home of an American family in the town
of Muscatine, Iowa.[28] This trip, and his two-week stay with a U.S.
family, is said to have had a lasting impression upon him and his
views on the United States.[29]
From 1998 to 2002, he studied
Marxist philosophyMarxist philosophy and ideological
education in an "on-the-job" postgraduate programme at the School of
Humanities and Social Sciences, again at Tsinghua University, and
obtained a
Doctor of LawDoctor of Law (LLD) degree, which was a degree covering
fields of law, politics, management, and revolutionary history,[30]
though commentators have questioned this qualification.[31]
Rise to power[edit]
Xi joined the Communist Youth League of
ChinaChina in 1971 and he applied
in 1973 to join the Communist Party of
ChinaChina 10 times and finally got
in on the tenth attempt in 1974.[32][33] In 1982, he was sent to
Zhengding CountyZhengding County in
HebeiHebei as deputy Party Secretary of Zhengding
County. He was promoted in 1983 to Secretary, becoming the top
official of the county.[34] Xi subsequently served in four provinces
during his regional political career:
HebeiHebei (1982–1985), Fujian
(1985–2002),
ZhejiangZhejiang (2002–2007), and
ShanghaiShanghai (2007).[citation
needed]
Xi held posts in the
FuzhouFuzhou Municipal Party Committee and became the
president of the Party School in
FuzhouFuzhou in 1990. In 1997, Xi was named
an alternate member of the 15th Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China. However, out of the 151 alternate members of the
Central Committee elected at the 15th Party Congress, Xi received the
lowest number of votes in favour, placing him in last place in the
rankings of members, ostensibly due to his status as a
princeling.[a][35]
In 1999, he was promoted to the office of Vice Governor of Fujian,
then he became governor a year later. In Fujian, Xi made efforts to
attract investment from
TaiwanTaiwan and to strengthen the private sector of
the provincial economy.[36] In February 2000, he and then-provincial
Party Secretary
Chen Mingyi were called before the top members of the
Party Central
Politburo Standing CommitteePolitburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of
China – general secretary Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji,
Vice-President
Hu JintaoHu Jintao and Discipline Inspection secretary Wei
Jianxing – to explain aspects of the Yuanhua scandal.[37]
In 2002, Xi left
FujianFujian and took up leading political positions in
neighbouring Zhejiang, eventually taking over as provincial party
chief after several months as acting governor, occupying a top
provincial office for the first time in his career. In 2002, Xi was
elected a full member of the 16th Central Committee, marking his
ascension to the national stage. While in Zhejiang, Xi presided over
reported growth rates averaging 14% per year.[38] His career in
ZhejiangZhejiang was marked by a tough and straightforward stance against
corrupt officials, which earned him a name on the national media and
drew the attention of China's top leaders.[39]
Following the dismissal of
ShanghaiShanghai Party Chief
Chen LiangyuChen Liangyu in
September 2006 due to a social security fund scandal, Xi was
transferred to
ShanghaiShanghai in March 2007 to become the party chief of
Shanghai.[40] Xi spent only seven months in Shanghai, but his
appointment to one of the most important regional posts in
ChinaChina sent
a clear signal that Xi was highly regarded by China's top leadership.
In Shanghai, Xi avoided controversy, and was known for strictly
observing party discipline. For example,
ShanghaiShanghai administrators
attempted to earn favour with Xi by arranging a special train to
shuttle him between
ShanghaiShanghai and
HangzhouHangzhou in order for him to complete
handing off his work to his successor as
ZhejiangZhejiang party chief Zhao
Hongzhu. However, Xi reportedly refused to take the train, citing a
loosely enforced party regulation which stipulated that special trains
can only be reserved for "national leaders".[41] While in Shanghai, he
worked on preserving unity of the local party organization, and made a
pledge that there would be no 'purges' during his administration,
despite the fact that many local officials were thought to have been
implicated in the
Chen LiangyuChen Liangyu corruption scandal.[42] On most issues
Xi largely echoed the line of the central leadership.[43] Xi's career
is notable in that during his regional tenures, he was never
implicated in any serious scandals, nor did he face serious political
opposition.[citation needed]
Politburo Standing CommitteePolitburo Standing Committee member[edit]

Xi was appointed to the nine-man
Politburo Standing CommitteePolitburo Standing Committee of the
Communist Party of
ChinaChina at the 17th Party Congress in October 2007.
Xi was ranked above Li Keqiang, an indication that he was going to
succeed
Hu JintaoHu Jintao as China's next leader. In addition, Xi also held
the top-ranking membership of the Communist Party's Central
Secretariat. This assessment was further supported at the 11th
National People's CongressNational People's Congress in March 2008, when Xi was elected as
Vice-President of the People's Republic of China.[44]
Following his elevation, Xi has held a broad range of portfolios. He
was put in charge of the comprehensive preparations for the 2008
Summer Olympics in Beijing, as well as being the central government's
leading figure in
Hong KongHong Kong and Macau affairs. In addition, he also
became the new President of the Central Party School of the Communist
Party of China, the cadre-training and ideological education wing of
the Communist Party. In the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Xi
visited disaster areas in
ShaanxiShaanxi and Gansu. Xi made his first foreign
trip as vice president to North Korea, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
and Yemen from 17 to 25 June 2008.[45] After the Olympics, Xi was
assigned the post of Committee Chair for the preparations of the 60th
Anniversary Celebrations of the founding of the People's Republic of
China. He was also reportedly at the helm of a top-level Communist
Party committee dubbed the 6521 Project, which was charged with
ensuring social stability during a series of politically sensitive
anniversaries in 2009.[46]
Xi is considered to be one of the most successful members of the Crown
Prince Party, a quasi-clique of politicians who are descendants of
early Chinese Communist revolutionaries. Former Prime Minister of
Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, when asked about Xi, said he felt he was "a
thoughtful man who has gone through many trials and tribulations."[47]
Lee also commented: "I would put him in the
Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela class of
persons. A person with enormous emotional stability who does not allow
his personal misfortunes or sufferings affect his judgment. In other
words, he is impressive".[48] Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson described Xi as "the kind of guy who knows how to get things
over the goal line."[49] Australian Prime Minister
Kevin RuddKevin Rudd said
that Xi "has sufficient reformist, party and military background to be
very much his own man."[50] Former US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton tweeted, "Xi hosting a meeting on women's rights at the UN
while persecuting feminists? Shameless."[51]
Trips as Vice President and
MexicoMexico commentary incident[edit]
In February 2009, in his capacity as vice-president, Xi Jinping
embarked on a tour of Latin America, visiting Mexico,[52][53]
Jamaica,[54][55] Colombia,[56][57] Venezuela,[58][59] and Brazil[60]
to promote Chinese ties in the region and boost the country's
reputation in the wake of the global financial crisis. He also visited
Valletta, Malta, before returning to China.[61][62]
On 11 February, while visiting Mexico, Xi spoke in front of a group of
overseas Chinese and explained China's contributions to the financial
crisis, saying that it was "the greatest contribution towards the
whole of human race, made by China, to prevent its 1.3 billion
people from hunger".[63] Xi went on to remark: "There are some bored
foreigners, with full stomachs, who have nothing better to do than
point fingers at us. First,
ChinaChina doesn't export revolution; second,
ChinaChina doesn't export hunger and poverty; third,
ChinaChina doesn't come and
cause you headaches. What more is there to be said?"[64][65] The story
was reported on some local television stations. The news led to a
flood of discussions on Chinese internet forums. It was reported that
the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was caught off-guard by Xi's
remarks, as the actual video was shot by some accompanying Hong Kong
reporters and broadcast on
Hong KongHong Kong TV, which then turned up in
various internet video websites.[66]
Xi continued his international trips, some say to burnish his foreign
affairs credentials prior to taking the helm of China's leadership. In
the European Union, Xi visited Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and
Romania from 7 October to 21 2009.[67] Xi visited Japan, South Korea,
Cambodia, and Myanmar on his Asian trip from 14 to 22 December
2009.[68]
Xi visited the United States, Ireland and
TurkeyTurkey in February 2012. The
visit included meeting with then U.S. President
Barack ObamaBarack Obama at the
White House[69] and then Vice President Joe Biden, with whom he had
met in
ChinaChina in August 2011; and stops in California and Iowa, where
he met with the family which previously hosted him during his 1985
tour as a
HebeiHebei provincial official.[70]
Disappearance[edit]
A few months before his ascendancy to the party leadership, Xi Jinping
disappeared from official media coverage for several weeks beginning
on 1 September 2012. On 4 September, he cancelled a meeting with U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and later also cancelled meetings
with Singapore's Prime Minister
Lee Hsien LoongLee Hsien Loong and a top Russian
official. It was said that Xi effectively "went on strike" in
preparation for the power transition in order to install political
allies in key roles.[71]
The Washington PostThe Washington Post reported that Xi may have
been injured in an altercation during a meeting of the "red second
generation" which turned violent.[72]
Leadership[edit]
Accession to top posts[edit]
On 15 November 2012,
Xi JinpingXi Jinping was elected to the post of General
Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the CPC Central
Military Commission by the 18th Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China, making him – informally – the paramount
leader and the first one to be born in the People's Republic of China
and not a preceding Chinese state. On the following day, Xi led the
new line-up of the
Politburo Standing CommitteePolitburo Standing Committee onto the stage in
their first public appearance.[73] The new Standing Committee
decreased its number of seats from nine to seven, with only Xi himself
and
Li KeqiangLi Keqiang retaining their seats from the previous Standing
Committee; the remaining members were new.[74][75][76] In a marked
departure from the common practice of Chinese leaders, Xi's first
speech as general secretary was plainly worded and did not include any
political slogans or mention of his predecessors.[77] Xi mentioned the
aspirations of the average person, remarking, "Our people ...
expect better education, more stable jobs, better income, more
reliable social security, medical care of a higher standard, more
comfortable living conditions, and a more beautiful environment." Xi
also vowed to tackle corruption at the highest levels, alluding that
it would threaten the Party's survival; he was reticent about
far-reaching economic reforms.[78]
In December 2012, Xi visited
GuangdongGuangdong in his first trip outside of
BeijingBeijing since taking the Party leadership. The overarching theme of
the trip was to call for further economic reform and a strengthened
military. Xi visited the statue of
Deng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping and his trip was
described as following in the footsteps of Deng's own southern trip in
1992, which provided the impetus for further economic reforms in China
after conservative party leaders stalled many of Deng's reforms in the
aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. On his trip, Xi
consistently alluded to his signature slogan the "Chinese Dream".
"This dream can be said to be the dream of a strong nation. And for
the military, it is a dream of a strong military", Xi told
sailors.[79] Xi's trip was significant in that he departed from
established convention of Chinese leaders' travel routine in multiple
ways. Rather than dining out, Xi and his entourage ate regular hotel
buffet. He traveled in a large van with his colleagues rather than a
fleet of limousines, and did not restrict traffic on the parts of the
highway he traveled on.[80]
Xi was elected
President of the People's Republic of ChinaPresident of the People's Republic of China on 14 March
2013, in a confirmation vote by the 12th
National People's CongressNational People's Congress in
Beijing. He received 2,952 for, one vote against, and three
abstentions.[81] He replaced Hu Jintao, who retired after serving two
terms.[82]
In his new capacity as president, on 16 March 2013 Xi expressed
support for noninterference in
China–Sri Lanka relationsChina–Sri Lanka relations amid a
United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security Council vote to condemn that country over
government abuses during the Sri Lankan Civil War.[83] On 17 March, Xi
and his new ministers arranged a meeting with the chief executive of
Hong Kong, CY Leung, confirming his support for Leung.[84] Within
hours of his election, Xi discussed cyber security and North Korea
with U.S. President
Barack ObamaBarack Obama over the phone, who announced the
visits of Treasury and State secretaries
Jacob LewJacob Lew and John F. Kerry
to
ChinaChina the following week.[85] Within a week of his assuming the
Presidency, Xi embarked on a trip to Russia, Tanzania, South Africa,
and Republic of Congo.[86]
Announcing reforms[edit]
In November 2013, at the conclusion of the Third Plenum of the 18th
Central Committee, the Communist Party delivered a far-reaching reform
agenda that alluded to changes in both economic and social policy. Xi
signaled at the plenum that he was consolidating control of the
massive internal security organization that was formerly the domain of
Zhou Yongkang.[87] A new National Security Commission was formed with
Xi JinpingXi Jinping at its helm. The Central Leading Group for Comprehensively
Deepening Reforms – another ad-hoc policy coordination body led
by Xi – was also formed to oversee the implementation of the
reform agenda.[citation needed]
The reforms, termed "comprehensive deepening reforms"
(全面深化改革, quanmian shenhua gaige) were said to be the most
significant since Deng Xiaoping's 1992 "Southern Tour". In the
economic realm, the Plenum announced that "market forces" would begin
to play a "decisive" role in allocating resources.[87] This meant that
the state would gradually reduce its involvement in the distribution
of capital, and restructure state-owned enterprises to allow further
competition, potentially by attracting foreign and private sector
players in industries that were highly regulated previously. This
policy aimed to address the bloated state sector that had unduly
profited from an earlier round of re-structuring by purchasing assets
at below-market prices, assets which were no longer being used
productively. The Plenum also resolved to abolish the laogai system of
"re-education through labour" which was largely seen as a blot on
China's human rights record. The system has faced significant
criticism for years from domestic critics and foreign observers.[87]
The one-child policy was also abolished, resulting in a shift to a
two-child policy since 1 January 2016.[88][89]
In December 2013, Xi arrived unannounced at a small
BeijingBeijing restaurant
to have steam buns (包子, baozi) for lunch, with only one person
accompanying him. He paid for the meal himself and dined with regular
patrons.[90] Xi was applauded for the 'common touch' of the visit, and
images were circulated widely on social media.[90]
Anti-corruption campaign[edit]
Main article: Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
Xi vowed to crack down on corruption almost immediately after he
ascended to power at the 18th Party Congress. In his 'inaugural
speech' as general secretary, Xi mentioned that fighting corruption
was one of the toughest challenges for the party.[91] A few months
into his term, Xi outlined the "eight-point guide", listing out rules
intended to curb corruption and waste during official party business;
it aimed at stricter discipline on the conduct of party officials. Xi
also vowed to root out "tigers and flies", that is, high-ranking
officials and ordinary party functionaries.[92] During the first two
years of Xi's term, he initiated cases against former Central Military
Commission vice-chairman Xu Caihou, former Politburo Standing
Committee member and security chief Zhou Yongkang, and former Hu
Jintao chief aide Ling Jihua.[93]
Along with new disciplinary chief Wang Qishan, Xi's administration
spearheaded the formation of "centrally-dispatched inspection teams"
(中央巡视组), essentially cross-jurisdictional squads of
officials whose main task was to gain more in-depth understanding of
the operations of provincial and local party organizations, and in the
process, also enforce party discipline mandated by Beijing. Many of
the work teams also had the effect of identifying and initiating
investigations on high-ranking officials. Over one hundred
provincial-ministerial level officials were implicated during a
massive nationwide anti-corruption campaign. These include former and
current regional officials (Su Rong, Bai Enpei, Wan Qingliang),
leading figures of state-owned enterprises and central government
organs (Song Lin, Liu Tienan), and highly ranked generals in the
military (Gu Junshan). In June 2014, the
ShanxiShanxi provincial political
establishment was decimated, with four officials dismissed within a
week from the provincial party organization's top ranks. Within the
first two years of the campaign alone, over 200,000 low-ranking
officials received warnings, fines, and demotions.[94]
Consolidation of power[edit]

Portrait of Xi in Beijing, September 2015

Political observers have called Xi "the most powerful Chinese leader
since Deng Xiaoping."[95] Xi has notably departed from the "collective
rule" practices of his predecessor Hu Jintao. During his years as the
party's general secretary, Hu was seen as the "first among equals"
with his Standing Committee colleagues, an arbiter of collective
opinion. In the top leadership, Hu's power was shared, mostly notably
with Premier
Wen JiabaoWen Jiabao and former Political and Legal Affairs
Commission Secretary Zhou Yongkang, who presided over the government
bureaucracy (and thus, the economy) and the state security system,
respectively. Xi, on the other hand, has unmistakably become the
central figure of the new administration.[citation needed]
Beginning in 2013, the party under Xi has created a series of new
"Central Leading Groups", that is, supra-ministerial steering
committees, to bypass existing institutions when making decisions, and
ostensibly making policy-making a more efficient process. The most
notable new body is the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively
Deepening Reforms, which has broad jurisdiction over economic
restructuring and social reforms, said to have displaced some of the
power previously held by the State Council and its Premier.[96] Xi
also became the leader of the Central Leading Group for Internet
Security and Informatization, in charge of cyber-security and internet
policy. The Third Plenum held in 2013 also saw the creation of the
National Security Commission of the Communist Party of China, another
body chaired by Xi which is believed to have ultimate oversight over
issues of national security such as combating terrorism, intelligence,
espionage, ultimately incorporating many areas of jurisdiction
formerly vested in the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
under Zhou Yongkang.[citation needed]
Xi has also been active in his participation in military affairs,
taking a direct hands-on approach to military reform. In addition to
being the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and the leader
of the
Central Leading Group for Military ReformCentral Leading Group for Military Reform founded in 2014 to
oversee comprehensive military reforms, Xi has delivered numerous
high-profile pronouncements vowing to clean up malfeasance and
complacency in the military, aiming to build a more effective fighting
force. In addition, Xi held the "New Gutian Conference" in 2014,
gathering China's top military officers, re-emphasizing the principle
of "the party has absolute control over the army" first established by
Mao at the 1929 Gutian Conference.[97] According to a University of
California, San Diego expert on Chinese military, Xi "has been able to
take political control of the military to an extent that exceeds what
Mao and Deng have done".[98]
On 21 April 2016 Xi was named "commander in chief" of the country's
new Joint Operations Command Center of the
People's Liberation ArmyPeople's Liberation Army by
XinhuaXinhua news agency and the broadcaster
ChinaChina Central
Television.[99][100] Some analysts interpreted this move as an attempt
to display strength and strong leadership and as being more "political
than military".[101] According to Ni Lexiong, a military affairs
expert, Xi "not only controls the military but also does it in an
absolute manner, and that in wartime, he is ready to command
personally".[102]
Legal reforms[edit]
The party under Xi announced a raft of legal reforms at the Fourth
Plenum held in the fall 2014, and Xi called for "Chinese socialistic
rule of law" immediately afterwards. The party aimed to reform the
legal system which had been perceived as ineffective at delivering
justice and affected by corruption, local government interference, and
lack of constitutional oversight. The plenum, while emphasizing the
absolute leadership of the party, also called for a greater role of
the constitution on the affairs of state, and a strengthening of the
role of the
National People's CongressNational People's Congress Standing Committee in
interpreting the constitution.[103] It also called for more
transparency in legal proceedings, more involvement of ordinary
citizens in the legislative process, and an overall
"professionalization" of the legal workforce. The party also planned
to institute cross-jurisdictional circuit legal tribunals as well as
giving provinces consolidated administrative oversight over lower
level legal resources, which is intended to have the effect of
reducing local government involvement in legal proceedings.[104]
Foreign trips as President[edit]
Xi made his first foreign trip as president to
RussiaRussia on 22 March
2013, about a week after he assumed the presidency. He met with
President
Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin and the two leaders discussed trade and
energy issues. He then went onto Tanzania,
South AfricaSouth Africa (where he
attended the
BRICSBRICS summit in Durban), and the Republic of the
Congo.[105] Xi visited the
United StatesUnited States at
SunnylandsSunnylands Estate in
California in a 'shirtsleeves summit' with U.S. President Barack Obama
in June 2013, although this was not considered a formal state
visit.[106] In October 2013 Xi attended the
APEC SummitAPEC Summit in Bali,
Indonesia.
Xi made a trip to Western Europe in March 2014, visiting the
Netherlands, where he attended the
Nuclear Security SummitNuclear Security Summit in The
Hague, followed by France, Germany, and Belgium.[107] Xi made a state
visit to
South KoreaSouth Korea on 4 July 2014 and met with South Korean
President Park Geun-hye.[108] Between 14 and 23 July, Xi attended the
BRICSBRICS leaders' summit in
BrazilBrazil and also visited Argentina, Venezuela,
and Cuba.[109]

Xi with his first lady during the Moscow Victory Day Parade on 9 May
2015

Xi went on an official state visit to
IndiaIndia and met with Indian Prime
Minister
Narendra ModiNarendra Modi in September 2014; he visited New Delhi but
also went to Modi's hometown in the state of Gujarat.[110] Xi went on
a state visit to
AustraliaAustralia and met with Prime Minister
Tony AbbottTony Abbott in
November 2014,[111] followed by a visit to the island nation of
Fiji.[112] Xi visited
PakistanPakistan in April 2015, signing a series of
deals over infrastructure related to the China–
PakistanPakistan Economic
Corridor, before heading to Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia, to attend
the Afro-Asian Leaders Summit and the 60th Anniversary events of the
BandungBandung Conference.[113] Xi visited
RussiaRussia and was the guest-of-honour
of Russian president
Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin at the 2015 Moscow Victory Day
Parade to mark the 70th Anniversary of the victory of the allies in
Europe. At the parade Xi and his wife
Peng LiyuanPeng Liyuan sat next to Putin.
On the same trip Xi also visited
KazakhstanKazakhstan and met with that
country's president Nursultan Nazarbayev, and also met with Alexander
Lukashenko in Belarus.[114]

Xi, who was on a four-day state visit to the UK, addressed both Houses
of Parliament at Westminster, 21 October 2015

In September 2015, Xi made his first state visit to the United
States.[115][116][117] In October 2015, Xi made a state visit to the
United Kingdom, the first by a Chinese leader for a decade.[118] This
followed a visit to
ChinaChina in March 2015 by the Duke of Cambridge.
During the state visit, Xi met Queen Elizabeth II, British Prime
Minister
David CameronDavid Cameron and other dignitaries. Increased customs, trade
and research collaborations between
ChinaChina and the UK were discussed,
but more informal events also took place including a visit to
Manchester City's football academy.[119]
In March 2016, Xi visited the Czech Republic on his way to United
States of America. In Prague, he met with the Czech president, prime
minister and other representatives, to promote relations and economic
cooperation between the Czech Republic and the People's Republic of
China.[120] His visit was met by a considerable number of protests by
Czech people.[121]

In January 2017, Xi became the first Chinese President to plan to
attend the
World Economic ForumWorld Economic Forum in Davos.[122] On January 17, Xi
addressed the forum in a high-profile keynote, addressing
globalization, the global trade agenda, and China's rising place in
the world's economy and international governance; he made a series of
pledges about China's defense of "economic globalization" and climate
change accords.[123][124] Premier
Li KeqiangLi Keqiang attended the forum in
2015 and Vice-President
Li Yuanchao did so in 2016. During the three
day state visit to the country in 2017 Xi also visited the World
Health Organization, the United Nations and the International Olympic
Committee.[124]
Cultural revival[edit]
As Communist ideology plays a less central role in the lives of the
masses in the People's Republic of China, top political leaders of the
Communist Party of
ChinaChina such as
Xi JinpingXi Jinping continue the
rehabilitation of ancient Chinese philosophical figures like Han Fei
into the mainstream of Chinese thought alongside Confucianism, both of
which Xi sees as relevant. "He who rules by virtue is like the Pole
Star," he said at a meeting of officials last year, quoting Confucius.
"It maintains its place, and the multitude of stars pay homage." In
Shandong, the Birthplace of Confucius, he told scholars that while the
West was suffering a "crisis of confidence," the Communist Party had
been "the loyal inheritor and promoter of China's outstanding
traditional culture."[125]
Han FeiHan Fei gained new prominence with favourable citations. One sentence
of Han Fei's that Xi quoted appeared thousands of times in official
Chinese media at the local, provincial, and national levels.[126]
Removal of term limits[edit]
In March 2018, the party-controlled
National People's CongressNational People's Congress passed
a set of constitutional amendments including removal of term limits
for the President and Vice President, the creation of a National
Supervision Commission, as well as enhancing the central role of the
Communist Party.[127][128] On 17 March 2018, Xi was reappointed by the
Chinese legislature as President, now without term limits, with Wang
Qishan appointed as the Vice President.[129][130] The following day Li
Keqiang was reappointed Premier and longtime allies of Xi Xu Qiliang
and
Zhang YouxiaZhang Youxia were voted in as vice-chairmen of state military
commission.[131] Foreign minister Wang Yi was also promoted to state
councillor and General Wei Fenghe was named defence minister.[132]
Political positions[edit]
Further information: Ideology of the Communist Party of China
Chinese Dream[edit]
Main article: Chinese Dream

According to the Qiushi, the
Chinese DreamChinese Dream is about Chinese
prosperity, collective effort, socialism, and national glory.

Xi and Communist Party ideologues coined the phrase "Chinese Dream" to
describe his overarching plans for
ChinaChina as its leader. Since 2013,
the phrase has emerged as the distinctive quasi-official ideology of
the party leadership under Xi Jinping, much as the "Scientific Outlook
on Development" was for
Hu JintaoHu Jintao and the "Three Represents" was for
Jiang Zemin. The origin of the term "Chinese Dream" is unclear. While
the phrase has been used previously by journalists and scholars,[133]
some publications have posited that the term likely drew its
inspiration from the concept of the American Dream.[134] The Economist
noted the abstract and seemingly accessible nature of the concept with
no specific overarching policy stipulations may be a deliberate
departure from the jargon-heavy ideologies of his predecessors.[135]
While the
Chinese DreamChinese Dream was originally interpreted as an extension of
the American Dream, which emphasizes individual self-improvement and
opportunity,[135] the slogan's use in official settings since 2013 has
taken on a noticeably more nationalistic character, with official
pronouncements of the "Dream" being consistently linked with the
phrase "great revival of the Chinese nation".[136] The policy
implications of the "Chinese Dream" remain unclear.
Xi first used the phrase during a high-profile visit to the National
Museum of
ChinaChina on 29 November 2012, where Xi and his Standing
Committee colleagues were attending a "national revival" exhibition.
Since then, the phrase has become the signature political slogan of
the Xi era.[137]
"
Xi JinpingXi Jinping Thought"[edit]
Main article:
Xi JinpingXi Jinping Thought
On September 18, 2017, the Chinese state media announced that the
Communist Party Central Committee had decided that Xi's political
philosophies, generally referred to as "
Xi JinpingXi Jinping Thought" by western
media, would become part of the Party Constitution.[138][139]
Xi first made mention of the "Thought on Socialism with Chinese
Characteristics for a New Era" in the opening day speech delivered to
the 19th Party Congress in October 2017. His Politburo Standing
Committee colleagues, in their own reviews of Xi's keynote address at
the Congress, prepended the name "Xi Jinping" in front of
"Thought".[140]
Xi himself has described the Thought as part of the broad framework
created around Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, a Dengist term
that places
ChinaChina in the "primary stage of socialism". In official
party documentation and pronouncements by Xi's colleagues, the Thought
is said to be a continuation of Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong
Thought,
Deng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping Theory, the "Three Represents", and the
Scientific Development Perspective, as part of a series of guiding
ideologies that embody "Marxism adopted to Chinese conditions" and
contemporary considerations.[140]
On 24 October 2017, at its closing session, the 19th Party Congress
approved the incorporation of
Xi Jinping ThoughtXi Jinping Thought into the Constitution
of the Communist Party of China.[141][142]
The concepts and context behind
Xi Jinping ThoughtXi Jinping Thought are elaborated in
Xi Jinping's The Governance of
ChinaChina book series, published by the
Foreign Languages Press for an international audience. Volume one was
published in September 2014, followed by volume two in November
2017.[143]
Foreign policy[edit]
Further information: China–
North KoreaNorth Korea relations, China–United
States relations, and Sino-Russian relations since 1991

Xi giving a speech at the U.S. Department of State in 2012, with
former Secretary of State
Hillary ClintonHillary Clinton and then Vice-President Joe
Biden in the background. Seated in the front row is former Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger.

Xi has reportedly taken a hard line on security issues as well as
foreign affairs, projecting a more nationalistic and assertive China
on the world stage.[144] Xi's political program calls for a
ChinaChina more
united and confident of its own value system and political
structure.[145]
Under Xi
ChinaChina has also taken a more critical stance on North Korea,
while improving relationships with South Korea.[146] China-Japan
relations have soured under Xi's administration; the most thorny issue
between the two countries remains the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu
islands. In response to Japan's continued robust stance on the issue,
ChinaChina declared an Air Defense Identification Zone in November
2013.[147]
Xi has called
China–United States relationsChina–United States relations in the contemporary
world a "new type of great-power relations", a phrase the Obama
administration had been reluctant to embrace.[148] Under his
administration the
Strategic and Economic DialogueStrategic and Economic Dialogue that began under Hu
Jintao has continued. On China-U.S. relations, Xi said, "If [
ChinaChina and
the United States] are in confrontation, it would surely spell
disaster for both countries".[149] Xi met with President Obama
privately at the
SunnylandsSunnylands ranch in California in 2013 in what became
known as the "shirtsleeves summit". The U.S. has been critical of
Chinese actions in the South
ChinaChina Sea.[148] In 2014, Chinese hackers
compromised the computer system of the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management,[150] resulting in the theft of approximately 22 million
personnel records handled by the office.[151]
Xi has cultivated stronger relations with Russia, particularly in the
wake of the Ukraine crisis of 2014. Xi seems to have developed a
strong personal relationship with President Vladimir Putin, both of
whom are viewed as strong leaders with a nationalist orientation who
are not afraid to assert themselves against Western interests.[152] Xi
attended the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Under Xi,
ChinaChina signed a $400 billion gas deal with Russia; China
has also become Russia's largest trading partner.[152]
Xi has signaled a greater interest in Central Asia as evidenced by
China's One Belt One Road initiative.[153] Xi made the announcement
while in Astana,
KazakhstanKazakhstan and called it a "golden opportunity".[154]

Xi has also indirectly spoken out critically on the U.S. "strategic
pivot" to Asia.[155] Addressing a regional conference in
ShanghaiShanghai on
21 May 2014, Xi called on Asian countries to unite and forge a way
together, rather than get involved with third party powers, seen as a
reference to the United States. "Matters in Asia ultimately must be
taken care of by Asians. Asia's problems ultimately must be resolved
by Asians and Asia's security ultimately must be protected by Asians",
he told the conference.[156]
In November 2014, in a major policy address, Xi has called for a
decrease in the use of force, preferring dialogue and consultation to
solve the current issues plaguing the relationship between
ChinaChina and
its South East Asian neighbors.[157] In April 2015 Xi led a large
delegation on a state visit to Pakistan. During his visit he signed
energy and infrastructure deals worth $45 billion including the
China–
PakistanPakistan Economic Corridor. Pakistan's highest civilian award,
the Nishan-e-Pakistan, was also conferred upon him.[158]

In spite of what seemed to be a tumultuous start of Xi Jinping's
leadership vis-à-vis the United-States, on 13 May 2017 Xi said at the
Belt and Road ForumBelt and Road Forum in Beijing: “We should foster a new type of
international relations featuring 'win-win cooperation', and we should
forge a partnership of dialogue with no confrontation, and a
partnership of friendship rather than alliance. All countries should
respect each other's sovereignty, dignity and territorial integrity;
respect each other's development path and its social systems, and
respect each other's core interests and major concerns... ...What we
hope to create is a big family of harmonious coexistence.”[161]
Role of the Communist Party[edit]
See also: Eight-point Regulation
Early on in his term, Xi repeatedly issued pronouncements on the
supremacy of the Communist Party, largely echoing Deng Xiaoping's line
that effective economic reform can only take place within the
one-party political framework. In Xi's view, the Communist Party is
the legitimate, constitutionally-sanctioned ruling party of China, and
that the party derives this legitimacy through advancing the so-called
"mass line"; that is the party represents the interests of the
overwhelming majority of ordinary people.[citation needed]
Xi's position has been described as preferring highly centralized
political power as a means to direct large-scale economic
restructuring.[162] Xi believes that
ChinaChina should be 'following its
own path' and that a strong authoritarian government is an integral
part of the "
ChinaChina model", operating on a "core socialist value
system", which has been interpreted as China's alternative to Western
values. However, Xi and his colleagues acknowledge the challenges to
the legitimacy of Communist rule, particularly corruption by party
officials. The answer, according to Xi's programme, is two-fold:
strengthen the party from within, by streamlining strict party
discipline and initiating a large anti-corruption campaign to remove
unsavoury elements from within the party, and instituting Mao-style
"mass line" campaigns externally to make party officials better
understand and serve the needs of ordinary people. Xi believes that
just as the party must be at the apex of political control of the
state, the party's central authorities (i.e., the Politburo, PSC, or
himself as general secretary) must exercise full and direct political
control of all party activities.[163]
Xi's policies have been characterized as "economically liberal but
politically conservative" by
Cheng Li of the Brookings
Institution.[146]
Censorship[edit]
See also: Censorship in
ChinaChina and Internet censorship in China
The "Document No. 9" is a confidential internal document widely
circulated within the Communist Party of
ChinaChina in 2013 by the party's
General Office.[164][165] The document was first published in July
2012.[166] The document warns of seven dangerous Western values:
constitutional democracy, universal values of human rights, civil
society, pro-market neo-liberalism, media independence, historical
nihilism [criticisms of past errors], and questioning Reform and
Opening.[167] Coverage of these topics in educational materials is
forbidden.[168] The release of this internal document, which has
introduced new topics that were previously not "off-limits", was seen
as Xi's recognition of the "sacrosanct" nature of Communist Party rule
over China.[167]
Since
Xi JinpingXi Jinping became the president of the PRC censorship has been
"significantly stepped up".[169] His administration has also overseen
more internet restrictions imposed in China, and is described as being
"stricter across the board" on speech than previous
administrations.[170] Xi's term has resulted in a further suppression
of dissent from civil society. Xi's term has seen the arrest and
imprisonment of activists such as Xu Zhiyong, as well as numerous
others who identified with the New Citizens' Movement. Prominent legal
activist
Pu ZhiqiangPu Zhiqiang of the
Weiquan movementWeiquan movement was also arrested and
detained.[171] The situation for users of Weibo has been described as
a change from fearing that individual posts would be deleted, or at
worst one's account, to fear of arrest.[172] A law enacted in
September 2013 authorized a three-year prison term for bloggers who
shared more than 500 times any content considered "defamatory".[173] A
group of influential bloggers were summoned by the State Internet
Information Department to a seminar instructing them to avoid writing
about politics, the Communist Party, or making statements
contradicting official narratives. Many bloggers stopped writing about
controversial topics, and Weibo went into decline, with much of its
readership shifting to
WeChatWeChat users speaking to very limited social
circles.[173]
In July 2017, the character
Winnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-Pooh was blocked on Chinese
social media sites because bloggers had been comparing the plump bear
to China's leader Xi Jinping.[174] This follows an incident where
Chinese authorities censored a 9-year-old for comments about Xi's
weight.[175]
Personal life[edit]
Xi married Ke Lingling, the daughter of Ke Hua, an ambassador to
Britain in the early 1980s. They divorced within a few years.[176] The
two were said to fight "almost every day" and, after the divorce, Ke
moved to England.[177]
Xi married the prominent Chinese folk singer
Peng LiyuanPeng Liyuan in 1987.[178]
Peng Liyuan, a household name in China, was much better known to the
public than Xi until his political elevation. The couple frequently
lived apart due largely to their separate professional lives. Xi and
Peng have a daughter named Xi Mingze, who graduated from Harvard
University in the spring of 2015. While at Harvard, she used a
pseudonym and studied psychology and English.[179] Xi's family have a
home in Jade Spring Hill, a garden and residential area in north
western
BeijingBeijing run by the Central Military Commission.[180]
Peng described Xi as hardworking and down-to-earth. "When he comes
home, I've never felt as if there's some leader in the house. In my
eyes, he's just my husband."[181] Peng has played a much more visible
role as China's "first lady" compared to her predecessors; for
example, Peng hosted U.S. First Lady
Michelle ObamaMichelle Obama on the latter's
high-profile visit to
ChinaChina in March 2014.[182] Xi was described in a
2011
The Washington PostThe Washington Post article by those who know him as "pragmatic,
serious, cautious, hard-working, down to earth and low-key". Xi was
described as a good hand at problem solving and "seemingly
uninterested in the trappings of high office".[183] He is known to
love U.S. films such as Saving Private Ryan,
The Departed and The
Godfather.[184][185] He also praised the independent film-maker Jia
Zhangke.[186]
In June 2012, Bloomberg reported that members of Xi's extended family
have substantial business interests, although there was no evidence he
had intervened to assist them.[187] The Bloomberg website was blocked
in mainland
ChinaChina in response to the article.[188] Since Xi embarked
on an anti-corruption campaign, members of his family were reported by
The New York TimesThe New York Times to be selling their corporate and real estate
investments beginning in 2012.[189]
Relatives of highly placed Chinese officials, including seven current
and former senior leaders of the Politburo of the Communist Party of
China, have been named in the Panama Papers, including Deng
Jiagui,[190] the brother-in-law of Xi. Deng had two shell companies in
the
British Virgin IslandsBritish Virgin Islands while Xi was a member of the Politburo
Standing Committee, but they were dormant by the time Xi became
General Secretary of the Communist Party in November 2012.[191]
Honors[edit]

^ It should be noted that Liu Yandong, Wang Qishan, and Deng Pufang
(Deng Xiaoping's son) all placed among the bottom of the alternate
member list. Like Xi, all three were seen as "princelings". It should
also be noted that
Bo XilaiBo Xilai did not get elected to the Central
Committee at all; that is, Bo placed lower in the vote count compared
to Xi.

Xi JinpingXi Jinping at Encyclopædia Britannica
Biography at Chinavitae.com
Appearances on C-SPAN
Xi JinpingXi Jinping collected news and commentary at the
ChinaChina Digital Times
"
Xi JinpingXi Jinping collected news and commentary". The Guardian.
"
Xi JinpingXi Jinping collected news and commentary". The New York Times.
"Changing of the Guard: Elite and Deft, Xi Aimed High Early in China"
(29 September 2012), by Ian Johnson, The New York Times
"Born Red: How Xi Jinping, an unremarkable provincial administrator,
became China's most authoritarian leader since Mao." (6 April 2015),
by Evan Osnos, The New Yorker.
Works by or about
Xi JinpingXi Jinping in libraries (
WorldCatWorldCat catalog)
U.S. Embassy Beijing, Portrait of Xi Jinping, via United States
diplomatic cables leak
Osnos, Evan, "China's Valentine's Day in Washington", The New Yorker,
14 February 2012. Review of comment accompanying Xi's visit.

Offices and distinctions of Xi Jinping

Political offices

Preceded by
He Guoqiang
Governor of
FujianFujian Province
1999–2002
Succeeded by
Lu Zhangong